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Psalm 14[a]

A Lament over Widespread Corruption

For the leader. Of David.

I

The fool says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”
Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt;
    not one does what is good.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 14 The lament (duplicated in Ps 53) depicts the world as consisting of two types of people: “the fool” (equals the wicked, Ps 14:1–3) and “the company of the just” (Ps 14:4–6; also called “my people,” and “the poor”). The wicked persecute the just, but the Psalm expresses the hope that God will punish the wicked and reward the good.

Psalm 14(A)

For the director of music. Of David.

The fool[a] says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”(B)
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 14:1 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.

13 Yet you say, “What does God know?(A)
    Can he judge through the thick darkness?

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13 Yet you say, ‘What does God know?(A)
    Does he judge through such darkness?(B)

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15 Ah! You who would hide a plan
    too deep for the Lord!
Who work in the dark, saying,
    “Who sees us, who knows us?”(A)

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15 Woe to those who go to great depths
    to hide(A) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
    “Who sees us?(B) Who will know?”(C)

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12 They denied the Lord,[a]
    saying, “He is nothing,
No evil shall come to us,
    neither sword nor famine shall we see.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 5:12 They denied the Lord: the people act as though God does not matter and will not interfere.

12 They have lied(A) about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(B)
    we will never see sword or famine.(C)

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12     At that time,
I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
    I will punish the people
    who settle like dregs in wine,[a]
Who say in their hearts,
    “The Lord will not do good,
    nor will he do harm.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1:12 Settle like dregs in wine: those who are overconfident because, like the sediment that settles to the bottom of a bottle of wine, they have remained at peace and undisturbed for a long time.

12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,(A)
    who are like wine left on its dregs,(B)
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,(C)
    either good or bad.’(D)

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